Director Chanicka Responds to EMPOWR Open Letter
The Director refused to apologize for labeling parents hateful and uninformed.
At the WRDSB Committee of the Whole on November 13th, 2023, Director Jeewan Chanicka responded to our open letter seeking an apology for the statement issued regarding the September 20th parent demonstrations. For your convenience we have transcribed his spoken statement (beginning at 24:00) and the following question period.
Director Chanicka: The Waterloo Region District School Board is an organization of over 10,000 staff serving more than 65,000 students across more than 1300 sqare kilometres in Waterloo Region. Regarding the question asked through the Chair I want to be clear that the statement that was made was not focused on any specific community within our Waterloo Region DSB. The language in that statement clearly states, and I read:
“Unfortunately, underlying some of the motivations behind these demonstrations are hate and inaccuracies about what is happening in schools. We continue to focus on creating inclusive, safe spaces, and ensure the well-being of all students and staff that affirm the lived experiences and identities of students and families, especially those most marginalized. We are committed to creating and maintaining identity-affirming learning and working environments. Ones where everyone feels safe and experiences a sense of belonging. All identities and abilities are honoured at the WRDSB.”
The statement then goes on to identify the guiding legislation that supports our district and all districts across Ontario, and it continues:
“As a secular, public education system, we do not teach children what to believe. However, we do teach that there are many ways that people define and express their identities. All are worthy of respect.
The curriculum taught in WRDSB schools is aligned with and follows the directions of the Ministry of Education.”
The statement then goes on to explain the ways that we support collaboration with families and communities, and it states:
“We understand there are different religious and creed-based beliefs and we recognize the rights of families to teach and practice their faith. As guided by the Ontario Human Rights Code (OHRC), we are committed to upholding religious and creed-based rights of individuals without compromising the rights and dignity of others.
The impact that the September 20 demonstrations may have on 2SLGBTQIA+ students, staff and families is worrying. This concern is further amplified, as this population of students is at higher risk of suffering depression and have higher rates of suicide.”
“We have also heard” the statement goes on to say, “from some members of our community that they are concerned that the protests may increase acts of hate in the region. To all students and families: we are listening and want to reassure you that we denounce all forms of hate, including anti-2SLGBTQIA+ hate, anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism, and Islamophobia”
Regarding who writes the messages in WRDSB we are a large organization of many leaders. With such a large organization the senior team plays a key role in helping us understand the perspectives of those who work to support students throughout our school board. It is consistent practice of many large organizations, including the Ministry of Education, that we do not sign communications from any one individual as it represents the interests of, and is a statement on behalf of the organization and those we serve. Statements coming directly from me as the director are signed by me. This has always been the practice of this organization and personally I have to wonder why after many years of this being the practice that it is being raised while I’m the director. Together the collective knowledge and wisdom of the team helps us create repsonses to the wider community. This was also the case when we issued our response to serious allegations made by a delegate some time before in a board meeting. Regarding the memo in question, and claims of “no evidence” our statement aimed to address concerns ahead of time due to the open claims made by the organizers themselves on the 1MillionMarch4Children website, a public forum which was concerning. It was at no point singling out any specific community, religious or otherwise. As stated clearly on their website under the banner Who We Are, and I quote “Uniting diverse backgrounds and faiths, we share a resolute purpose advocating for the elimination of the sexual orientation and gender identity curriculum, pronouns, gender ideology, and mixed bathrooms in schools. As a symbol of our commitment students are encouraged to participate in a nationwide school walkout on theat day. Our mission: we are brothers and sisters in humanity standing up to free our children from the bondage of indoctrination, breaking the system designed to sexualize our children.”
For these reasons it would have been inappropriate to sign the letter from any single individual or a limited group of individuals, as this letter spoke to the stands of the WRDSB, where our focus has always been on supporting the achievement and well-being of all students that we serve as they achieve their full potential in our schools and classrooms. As an organization we are bound to uphold the law, the Education Act, and the Ontario Human Rights Code, and ensure that students are all reflected, represented, upheld, and able to thrive. No child can thrive in an environment where they do not feel seen, understood, or represented. As for the statement causing divisions in the community, it is actually the mischaracterization of our statement, the misinformation and fear-mongering by some people that are causing divisions in our community. The hallmark of a democratic public education system should be that we serve all students well, especially those who are most marginalized. All students and families deserve to be supported, feel safe, included, and respected in their learning environment. This is a part of our commitment to creating a system where everyone belongs and is treated with respect. This is a part of the mandate put forward by the Ontario Ministry of Education. Simply because someone disagrees with the Ministry of Education and the Ontario Human Rights Commission, doesn’t mean they are right. As a public organization we must, and are legally compelled, to guarantee the human rights of all children. Furthermore, as that rally, when it did happen, I quote one of the keynote speakers who clearly stated, “this ideology leads minors to transition through medicalization, sterilization, and mutilation. Sexualization through the material presentation and conversations that happen at school, and the secrecy that drives a wedge between parents and their kids.” This is patently untrue and factually incorrrect. Since the advent of public education children have been going to school and hearing stories about princes and princesses living happily ever after from as early as kindergarten. That has never caused queer children to become straight. Since the advent of public education, children have learned about two genders. That has never converted gender diverse children to grow into one of those two genders only. Children can learn that diversity exists and that the world they’re going into is filled with people who understand and live in the world according to truths that are different than their own. Families have every right and should teach children what they believe. They also need to teach them, as we do, that other people may live in the world differently and they are deserving of respect and to have their dignity. It is not dignity to say that we don’t have anything against 2SLGBTQIA+ people and then demand their erasure as the very statement on the website and the premise for the marches stated. To teach children that diversity exists and understand that all people should be treated with respect are hallmarks of democracy. To demand that children should not learn about diverstiy and other lived experience, that is actually called indoctrination. To connect sexual orientation and gender identity to sexualization of young children is false, dangerous, and this language needs to be rejected as it is misleading and inaccurate and causes harm to children, families, and staff in our system and in the wider region. It is both my duty and responsibility as the secretary of the board and as the director on behalf of all the families, staff and students we serve, to remind us that we have a duty to all the children we serve. We have a duty in the way conversations are framed to ensure that we are not promoting ideologies that lead to hate and harms. We have lived this through many times in history. It first starts with one community then spreads rapidly. This is exactly how “never again” repeats itself.
There were connections made to the Muslim community by some of those seeking to cause harm. I will say this, the statement was never a statement directed to or about the Muslim community. The statement as I highlighted addressed what the organizers of this protest said in their own words. The WRDSB has an ongoing relationship with the Muslim community as it does with many others, one that is steeped in respect and care. We continue to do the work of addressing the needs of all the students that we serve. There are some that are trying to use the board as a space to advance their own political views and beliefs about who should or should not be included. They start sentences with “I have nothing against 2SLGBT+ people” and then go on to advance arguments that render the same students, staff and families invisible in the curriculum. Quite frankly, what I don’t understand is, if we know that this representation supports the well-being of one of our most marginalized communities in our board, a community with higher rates of depression and suicide, why would we fight against it. And when we say all students, does it then include 2SLGBTQIA+ students, or might some hold beliefs that some lives are less valuable or less worthy. I would like to think that one of the most significant things we can do here is to do our best to not, and to ensure that we save lives and to help students thrive. Once again I remind us that students learning that diversity exists does not require them to change their own beliefs. Teaching children to know and respect diversity does not require students to erase their own identities. Our job is to ensure we do our best for every single child in our system. Based on the extensive consultation of our new strategic plan, we have reaffirmed our commitment to work with families as partners. This is a goal for us, to do and be better. It must be done within the context of human rights for all. Human rights can and should never be negotiable. As such I don’t see a need to retract our statement. In fact, I will conclude with the final paragraph of said statement:
“We are all in relationship with one another. By working together with compassion and recognizing our shared humanity, it is possible for us to build a better school system where all children belong and where their human rights are upheld. We look forward to a future of togetherness alongside community that ensures the success, safety and belonging of all students and learning spaces.”
Thank you.
Trustee Watson: I appreciate, I did ask the question were we going to respond to those who took exception. And I think that when I read the part where it says “unfortunately underlying some of the motivations behind these demonstrations are hate and inaccuracy about what is happening in schools”, I think that’s inflammatory language and so when parents who participated are bringing forward their concerns, they’re protesting as the director had mentioned a number of times, about democracy, and the hallmarks of democracy. And although, clearly, the Director in those statements may not agree with the organizations, to judge someone’s motivation and say they are demonstrations of hate, I think that that is the part where parents were upset. And so when they’re marching and then they see this statement, they’re assuming that they’re being painted as someone who has hate, and so although we’ve made this statement, it you know, are they not – and I don’t know if the Director wants to answer this – but are they not entitled to their own opinions without being told that the demonstrations are hate and innacuracies. So if we’re going to hold up the principles of democracy, these people do not believe that they’re hating anyone. They’re bringing forward their legitimate concerns about the safety of students. So I know I can’t judge them because I don’t know them, and they’re bringing forward their concerns. I don’t understand why we use the word “hate”.
Director Chanicka: Two things I’m going right back to the statement again, it says “unfortunately underlying some of the motivations behind these demonstrations are hate and inaccuracies about what is happening in schools”, then I went on to quote exactly what the organization said, “we share a resolute purpose advocating for the elimination of sexual orientation and gender identity curriculum, pronouns, gender ideology, and mixed bathrooms in schools”. I feel that that answers the question.
Trustee Watson: So I, you know, just from this statement, so, because they said that on their website, you’re assuming that it’s hate motivated.
Director Chanicka: I feel like I’ve answered the question.
Trustee Woodcock: I just want to thank the Director for the thorough follow up and just reiterate that it’s important that we understand that some people that participated in the march were possibly offended by this kind of language. I support the language that was used in the statement, and I appreciate the thorough response from the Director. Thank you.
Trustee Ramsay: I appreciate the response from the Director, and I guess my question is then, considering the totality of the statement as read by the director, I would imagine that somewhere – not aware of it, haven’t seen it – that there would be a statement then, a similar statement being issued with respect to anti-Semitism in our community, across our country and also in our community, in terms of the behaviors of some of our students. Will the Director then be issuing a statement to condemn what’s going on? There’s a massive rise in anti-Semitism in our community. Nothing is mentioned even in that statement, and this was information that was known even before this most recent conflict, so is it reasonable to expect that a statement will be getting issued through the board?
Director Chanicka: We, one, we issued a statement about a specific activity that was planned across the country, that was happening in our community. As a school district, we are aware of the rise in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia that is happening right across the country. As we have stated, even in this, what we have said before and continuing to, and in our ongoing conversations both with the Jewish and the Muslim communities, are committed to making sure that our schools are free from anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. That is a commitment we have in upholding the Ontario Human Rights Code. As such I don’t feel the need that we need to make a separate statement on that.
Trustee Ramsay: I’m not going to get into a back and forth. I think it’s very clear what’s taking place in our community. I do agree with the remarks of my colleague, Trustee Watson, that the statement that was issued by the board was a bit over the top, and it pre-judged what was going to be taking place at this march back in September and I feel strongly enough that there should be an apology issued, so I’m going to move that the Waterloo Region District School Board of Trustees issue a public apology to participants of the million parent march of September 20th 2023 fot the comments made by the WRDSB questioning the motives of the participants. And I move that.
[Seconded by Trustee Watson]
Trustee Ramsay: …I think it’s very clear what the motion is actually saying, it’s asking for an apology. I strongly disagree with the framing of the statement that was issued, and I strongly disagree with the current framing by our Director as to the rationale for issuing the statement. I think a straightforward apology to our community is warranted and that’s why I’m putting the motion.
Trustee Radlein: I would like to speak against that motion. I think the Director mentioned that the website of the people who organized this spoke to the elimination of a group that is part of the school community – students, parents, staff. Also, it needs to be pointed out that intent can vary but what constitutes harm is how it’s received. And the community, the 2SLGBTQIA+ community received harm. It is not intent, it is outcome.
Trustee Watson: So, and I said it before, but I think we need to really talk about words and the choice of words that we use. And when we use a word like “hate”, you know people expect that if you’re going to use words that are powerful, like “hate”, you would be able to back it up, and yet, we on one side we’re talking about democracy and everyone having the right to their beliefs and opinions and, you know, these are the hallmarks of democracy, we’re Canadians, people have the right to believe what they want. And many parents, we can see by the parents of the million parent march, are concerned about identity politics, they are concerned about the things taught in classrooms, parents are concerned because they feel that they’re being excluded. And this was their way of showing the government – those in authority, those in higher power, higher position – “we are concerned”. I’ve never seen anything like this, I’ve never seen anything like the million march, and when we talk about mischaracterization, I believe what we did in that sentence, what we’re saying is, these demonstrations are hate, and they’re inaccurate. And yet, there was no follow up with any of these groups, or particular parents, there were no conversations with them, there was no – to the best of my knowledge – getting everyone together to talk about “hey what are your concerns”, these are concerns are across Canada. And I think it’s important that when we have a demonstration like that, there is a take away, we have to stop being defensive, and when I read this, in my own personal opinion, this is, it’s defensive, and so when parents have continually brought up identity politics in the classroom, ideologies being taught that don’t align with their personal beliefs, I think it’s time to start listening, and to work with parents instead of making comments about “unfortunately underlying some of the motivations behind these demonstrations are hate and inaccuracies”. I think if we’re really trying to build unity and build understanding, we have to do better, we have to start using language that will help build and heal instead of separating and dividing. So I’ll be supporting this motion.
Trustee Woodcock: I’ll be voting against the motion. As far as I can see, Trustee Watson asked for follow up and an explanation from the Director regarding the statement. That explanation has been given and I’ll be voting against the motion. We’re done.
Trustee Waseem: I will also be voting against this motion. As someone who has, as one of the trustees whose had opportunity to sit in on discussions with community groups, including for instance the Muslim community, and representatives from that group, I have witnessed very caring, thoughtful, transparent conversations. I’ve witnessed our board staff engage in sharing our practices, collecting feedback, and taking very thorough notes and supporting on where they can provide clarification on some of our board policies and procedures. And vice versa I’ve also noticed many parents, community leaders share their perspectives in respectful ways that in no way alienates another group. All of this being said, the motion today, I have to second Trustee Woodcock’s comments, which is that this was a request to hear an explanation, I believe a thorough explanation has been given, so I will be voting against this motion.
Trustee Piatkowski: I will be voting against the motion. I’m not sure why we need to have a motion on this because I think that a thorough explanation has already been offered. Our statement was consistent with those of other school boards in the province, consistent with statements from our local municipalities and other municipalities across the country, consistent with language used by the Prime Minister of Canada. There’s no reason why we should be apologizing for accurately characterizing what was being said by organizers of the march. And I think that we should vote on this motion and move on.
Trustee Estoesta: I will also voting against the motion. When we talk about words and impacts, this isn’t a theoretical or an academic exercise. After the march, we had a hate crime at one of our schools – a hate crime. When we normalize hate, it turns into actions. And that is why I’ll be voting against this motion.
Trustee Johnson: I just want to say I appreciate the thoroughness of the statement that the director read, the staff that put that together. Very thoughtful, very detailed, and I thank you all for the effort that went into that – the detail and the accuracy. I will also be opposed to the motion.
Trustee Ramsay: I’m going to be asking for a recorded vote on this. But just very briefly, because I have an idea, I see where this is going. But I must comment on one of the remarks that’s been made about hate crime, and somehow drawing this link between the march and the hate crimes. If trustees around this board have evidence of the link, I wish they would present it rather than just throwing statements out that it led to hate crime. You know, and I know that staff, some staff, has actually made that statement also, and even linked it to hate crime in Hamilton. That’s the kind of thing, those are the kind of statements that I think Trustee Watson is talking about, that we need to step back, and to try and have some conversations with our parents community, instead of trying to label them, and to frame, to take one comment out of a website that probably doesn’t even have an author – as has been clearly said about the statement that we issued, there’s no author, it’s 10,000 employees that hand out these statements – with that said when I look at the so-called hate crime that we tried to link it to, there’s no evidence of that. If there’s trustees that have evidence, please present it to the board. It’s unfair to be characterizing the legitimate concerns of many of our parent communities as hate crimes.
Trustee Woodcock: I’d just like to respond to the linkages. Waterloo Region Police have charged the participants in that incident with hate crime, so that’s a link for me. I’d like to call the question.